Halcyon
by fireflyofhell
Summary: "Tawel Anghyfannedd." Hermione repeated the name to herself. She wasn't excited, she was ecstatic. In three day's time, she would be off to Wales to help with the excavation of the legendary wizarding settlement. AU and post-Hogwarts.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I'm pretty sure I don't own Harry Potter, because if I did, I probably wouldn't be writing fanfiction. :)

* * *

**Title:** Halcyon  
**Summary:** "Tawel Anghyfannedd." Hermione repeated the name to herself. She wasn't excited, she was ecstatic. In three day's time, she would be off to Wales to help with the excavation of the legendary wizarding settlement.

* * *

**Prologue: In Which Our Heroine is (Dis)pleased**

It was the best day of her life.

Or at least until she remembered a certain incident that occurred last week.

Hermione Granger grinned madly as she strolled out of her office. In fact, she smugly thought to herself, this opportunity would finally prove to her superiors that she, not stupid Lavender Weasley, should have been promoted last month. As the brains of the Golden Trio, it was absolutely disgraceful to her that _Lavender Weasley _of all people had been promoted over her despite shoddier work and a complete inattention to detail. (Or even more importantly, by Merlin's beard, how did she even get a job as an Unspeakable?) When Hermione had asked her boss why, citing her desire to perform better in her duties, all she had gotten out of him was a stammer and "well, Granger, it's not your intelligence… Er, we are aware that you were the one er helped Aurors Potter and Weasley…. well… erm… we just wanted to have someone who was presentable – heylookatthetime!" and disapparated on the spot.

Hermione seethed inwardly as she stomped to the lifts. Oblivious to the crowd that parted in front of her, she jammed a finger onto the button marked down before closing the doors. _Presentable. I'll show him bloody presentable. How dare that little airhead tell me I wasn't presentable. If it weren't for my work the Ministry would've never solved that case in Albania last year finding all of Nagini's offspring. If I hadn't deciphered the runes in Ireland, we would never have found out about the Irish wizards attempting to bomb Big Ben to terrorise the Muggle government. All stupid Lav-lav does is go around batting her lashes at the male Unspeakables and they go do her work for her. That stupid bint isn't even remotely qualified to be an Unspeakable. She failed nearly all her N.E.W.T.s except Divination, and THAT isn't even a real subject. Trelawney deserves to be shoved down the Astronomy Tower. At least then one of her silly omens would actually come true for once. _

"Those bloody – annoying – bastards!" Hermione shrieked as the doors opened and a group of school children from Charm School stared at her. She marched past them as they retreated into an unidentifiable blue mass, several of which whimpered.

* * *

Draco Malfoy was standing exactly a metre away from Hermione Granger when she passed by in a rage.

Hermione had no idea that when she was truly angry, her already bushy hair flew out in all directions. Her face was horrifying enough to launch a thousand ships, desperate to flee her warpath. In fact, when it wasn't directed at him, it was _magnificent_. Draco didn't envy the poor bastard who offended her one bit, although he had a good feeling who it was that made her that enraged this time.

Ever since she and Weasley had broken up a year after the Great Battle, things had not been pretty between them. Cracks had started appearing soon after they started dating. Weasel had wanted her to be exactly like his mum, staying at home raising the children while he went out to play professional Quidditch. (Except, Draco thought smugly to himself, that plan failed ten days after Weasley started due to "unforeseen circumstances.") Any idiot from a mile away could see that it was not going to happen. Granger was too independent to do such a thing. Their breakup was the stuff legends were made of, and the Daily Prophet followed it intimately. Immediately, Ron went on the rebound and married Lavender Brown – no Weasley now – corrected Draco. And since then, that silly little bint had been waving it in front of Granger's face whenever she could. Draco Malfoy had capitalised on this little spat, telling Granger that she was finally seeing some sense in getting rid of the Weasel when he ran into her at the Three Broomsticks shortly after their breakup. After Granger had slapped him _again_, and also countless shots of firewhiskey, the two had reached a cordial relationship.

"Who's got your panties in a twist, Granger? You got into a spat with a new boy toy?" he drawled as he fell instep with her.

Hermione stopped abruptly and glared at him. "It would have been great if you hadn't just appeared in front of me!" She walked towards the floo channels, deliberating whether to go to a supermarket to get a bottle of wine and get sloshed or going home to pack.

"No, seriously Granger. What's wrong with you?"

The genuine concern in Draco's tone stopped her. "Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden, Malfoy?"

Draco shrugged. "I think what you meant to say was 'why are you being so nice to me more than usual,' Granger. A civil relationship between co-workers isn't too much to ask when I work on the same floor as you. We are no longer at Hogwarts with house rivalries, and you did defeat Voldemort. Besides, you just scared a bunch of schoolchildren and their teacher. Doesn't do good things for your image now, does it?"

"Oh!" Startled, Hermione turned around. Upon which immediately everyone in the vicinity of the Atrium turned towards the floo channels much quickly than before. The aforementioned school group was in the farthest floo channel from where she stood with Draco, still whimpering. Toning it down, she sighed. "If you must know, I'm quite pleased, but I cannot stand Lavender."

Draco snickered. "Lav-lav and Won-won. The two deserve each other. How you two dated for so long still confounds me. So much for the smartest witch of her age thing."

Hermione's face soured faster than a hippogriff in a mood swing. "I'm talking about Lavender's promotion."

Draco snorted delicately, "You mean the one that she seduced your silly uppers to get? That job? Honestly Granger, get your act together. Why should you be upset over that? It's the same job with longer hours and a two galleon salary increase per month. You can do far better."

Hermione looked at Draco with some shock. "How did you know all that?"

Draco opened his mouth to respond, but Hermione got to it faster than him. "Never mind, office politics spread faster than gossip. I forgot."

Draco nodded, "And since you know that, I suppose you are aware that there are rumours you have been offered a new job too."

Hermione's face relaxed, and she smiled at him. "Oh yes, the excavation! Professor Babbling came by this morning and asked me if I were interested in helping with the runic translations of a site called Tawel Anghyfannedd she was helping to excavate. She was muttering something about disproving legends or some rubbish like that. You do know what that is, right?"

Draco made a "tsk, tsk" sound at her. "Contrary to most opinion, I do have a brain and I was ranked second behind you, Granger."

Flushed, Hermione mumbled a quick sorry, "I forget sometimes."

"That's the problem with you Gryffindors, you're all so self-absorbed that you forget the world does exist outside of your tower."

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "What happened to putting aside house rivalries, Malfoy?"

Draco shrugged, "You did set yourself up for that. Do you want to hear what I have to say or not?" Hermione nodded at him. "Supposedly, Tawel Anghyfannedd was a myth. A bedtime story of sorts wizards tell their children at night. It's supposedly the first wizarding city established in the British Isles around the same time as Hogwarts as a safe haven for wizards and witches who had to flee raids from the Vikings and Danes and wars in the south – don't give me that look Granger, I do know a little bit of mud - I mean muggle history – anyway, it died out about two centuries after it was founded, and people don't know why, or so the story goes."

Hermione had an inquisitive look on her face that reminded him of their Hogwarts days. "So this city was a myth? And now it's reappeared after so long. That made no sense at all. I thought magic would be able to pinpoint if it was real or not long before it became a bedtime story."

Draco felt superior, this was the first time that he knew something she didn't, and it was a _wonderful_ feeling. "You weren't raised in the wizarding world. It's like those fairy tales that Muggles read like Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. Or even Tales of Beedle the Bard. They were actual events that did occur in wizarding history, except Muggles butchered them into blasted fairy tales. As if Sleeping Beauty could awaken with 'true love.' What type of stupid Muggle came up with that sorry excuse. So anyway, I ran into a few people in Magical Law Enforcement yesterday discussing the needed security to protect the site once they break the additional wards down. Apparently it was very heavily protected and MLE's still not sure how the poor wizard managed to break the wards to get the place to show itself. Once word gets out that Tawel Anghyfannedd is real, people will be flocking there and it'll be dangerous if they're blundering into the wards."

Hermione frowned at Draco. "So it was invisible before? That doesn't make sense if it were a wizarding village. Unless the spells and wards surrounding the place similar to the ones that surround Hogwarts but additionally applied to wizards? How did the wizard trigger the wards if it couldn't be seen by anyone? Did he just run into it?"

"'Fraid I can't answer that for you and neither can the wizard. Poor bloke's in St. Mungo's. Apparently the wards broke all the bones in his body. Every time the healers try something on him, the bones break into even smaller fragments. I reckon he won't be answering any question for the foreseeable future. I might not be an Auror, but even I know it's incredibly dark magic. That's probably why Babbling came by today to ask you to help. They've Aurors there now to examine the wards, but they're calling in a bunch of people like you to help with the runes and curse breaking."

Hermione worked at the Department of Mysteries as an Unspeakable most of the time. Her research was done mostly in the Brain Chamber, examine when and where the brain was activated when runes were used to create sentient inanimate objects. But since she was _Hermione Granger_, other departments, primarily the MLE, often asked her to consult with their runic work. Though truthfully, she did possess the unfortunate knack of getting into the oddest situations when she did aid the MLE. Draco shuddered at the thought of getting trapped with Nagini's offspring while attempting to break the wards internally. That was a nightmare he didn't fancy.

Draco looked at the large hourglass adjacent to Kingsley Shacklebolt's image. "I'm sure you can find all you want if you hurry to the Ministry Library. They're closing in five minutes. I have a date tonight with a beautiful French witch. Care to join me?" He leered at Hermione.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "You're not funny."

Draco smirked before turned towards the nearest floo channel. "Don't worry, Hermione, I'm sure you'll be fine once you read a tonne of books. Have fun." With a simple "Malfoy Manor!" Draco was gone.

Hermione stared at the hourglass. The library could wait one night, she mused. She needed to pack and figure out what books to take with her. She wasn't sure how many books there would be on Tawel Anghyfannedd, seeing as it was a myth until now, but she could spend some time reading up on different runes and the history behind the legend later.

* * *

That night at home, Hermione flipped through several books that Draco had sent her via owl post.

Most of the books looked incredibly old and worn, several of which were children's books. To add insult to injury in Hermione's mind, they were all thin books. None were hardback tomes like the books in the Hogwarts library. Hermione flipped the first book over, and saw a small "Read me first!" sign on the cover. She opened it.

_A thousand years ago, there was a little vole named Hywel who lived in the beautiful forests of Cymry. He was a timid creature, fearful of the large owls soaring overhead. His mummy had told him never to stray far, because Man would eat him. _

_One day, Hywel crept a little too far away from home. It was dark and silent, without a creature peeping. Hywel didn't know which direction to go, until he remembered his mummy's words._

_"Remember, Hywel. If you ever go to far, just look up at the sky. The star shining the brightest will lead you home." _

_But he couldn't find the star! It was too dark. So that night, Hywel slept in a tiny ball at the foot of a tree, waiting until dawn to get home. _

_As dawn approached and Hywel awakened, he realised there was a Man standing close by him. Terrified, he let out a squeak! Luckily, the Man didn't hear him, and continued to speak. _

_"Brothers and sisters, we have travelled far away from the invaders. Muggles from the north and south continue to war, leaving us no choice to flee. But our seer Sybil has spoken! Here is where our final shelter, Tawel Anghyfannedd, shall be and we will be safe for a thousand years!"_

_A great cheer erupted, and poor little Hywel burrowed deeper into the ground to avoid being seen. _

_A small Man suddenly scooped Hywel up, "Father look! Isn't he adorable! I wish to keep him!"_

_The Man who had spoken looked at the smaller one. "We are safe at last, Salazar. If you wish to keep him, it is your duty." _

_As months went on, the forest that Hywel loved began to transform. His owner, who he knew only as Salazar, kept him on his body at all time. More and more Men came to the forest. Except now, it was a forest of wooden houses and many like Salazar. They could do strange things, holding sticks called wands, transforming trees into lumber, starting fires, and Hywel's favourite, making something called 'toys' for him. _

Hermione caught herself yawning as she flipped to the next page. Perhaps it was time for her to go to bed, as it was nearly two in the morning. She would finish the story another time. Quickly, she changed into her sleep clothes and slipped into bed.

"Tawel Anghyfannedd." Hermione repeated the name to herself. Suddenly she didn't feel as upset about losing the stupid promotion to Lavender Weasley. She wasn't just excited, she was ecstatic at being asked to help with the excavation. In three day's time, she would be off to Wales to help with the excavation of the legendary wizarding settlement with her old Runes professor and the best minds of the British Isles.

* * *

A/N: I haven't written fanfiction in a very long time, so I'm incredibly nervous about starting again. Please let me know if there were things I could improve on or write better.

Sleeping Beauty, not Cinderella, was actually fed a Draught of the Living Dead, and the Prince woke her up by smearing his lips with the antidote when he kissed her. This information was contained in the Prisoner of Azkaban game for GBA several years ago.

Professor Bathsheda Babbling did teach Ancient Runes in canon though no mention of her was made in the books.


	2. Chapter One

**A/N:** I want to address a point that one reviewer (**Moi**) bought up: Though I indicated the use of facts from the PoA game, I do not intend to in the future. I only bought it up as random trivia. Essential things to the story's development will come from canon as much as possible (even though this is fanfiction, so there will be liberties taken, obviously).

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**Disclaimer:** Look back at the Prologue please.

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**Title:** Halcyon

**Summary:** "Tawel Anghyfannedd." Hermione repeated the name to herself. She wasn't excited, she was ecstatic. In three day's time, she would be off to Wales to help with the excavation of the legendary wizarding settlement.

* * *

**Chapter One: In Which Our Heroine Is Smug**

Hermione remembered when she first received her Hogwarts letter. The owl had smacked into her bedroom window, terrifying her so badly that she had ended up screaming while her parents sprinted upstairs to her room, thinking an intruder had broken in.

But then, that terror had turned into awe and shock, eventually satisfaction as she read her letter and _finally_, after years of having weird events such as changing her parents' hair pink and purple and locking her cousin in the broom shed behind her house after she had stolen her copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – and to this day still didn't regret – occur, she had a logical explanation.

She was on the second stage currently, as she looked at the walls of Tawel Anghyfannedd. As a child, her mother had read her The Iliad, describing the walls of Troy as an impenetrable fortress that kept out the Greek forces for a decade until Odysseus had tricked the Trojans into opening the gates. The perimeter reminded her of the fabled city. Though if she were to tell the wizards that, they would not have understood the reference. (Except maybe Harry, but even then, the Boy-Who-Defeated-The-Dark-Lord-And-Hated-His-Nickn ame didn't open a book unless he absolutely had to.)

The walls of Tawel Anghyfannedd rose over ten metres, and were made of solid yew. On every surface of the walls, tiny runes were chiselled, weaving a thick protective layer that repelled any spell or hex thrown at it. It absorbed all the spells that were thrown at it, and almost as if it were sentient, it would throw the exact spell back at the spell caster. The first Auror who had attempted this had already been transported to St. Mungo, meeting the fate of the unfortunate individual who had stumbled upon the site in the first place. On the gate facing the east, there was an inscription in Old Welsh: Caniatáu i'r bobl â hud mynd i.

"Allow those with magic enter," Hermione murmured to herself.

"Miss Granger, oh there you are! I trust you came here safely!" Hermione turned to see her old Runes professor, Bathsheda Babbling. "Of course professor, I wouldn't have missed the chance to see something so beautiful. It's like a Christmas present!"

Professor Babbling beamed at her. "It is amazing, is it not? To be the first ones on the land and discover that Tawel Anghyfannedd is real is simply fantastic! My paternal grandfather was Welsh, and he use to tell me stories about the beauty of this place. Unfortunately the dratted walls are giving us such a hard time and the gate refuses to open." Her expression changed. "If you are ready, I suggest you go over to the north side. Camp has been set up. Several of the curse breakers are already there along with runic specialists. I dare say you will be a nice addition and a source of new information. Although the Elder Futhark runes were used, there seems to be a variation of them on the walls, and no one on the team can agree how they were varied to change the properties of the walls. There seems to be no consistency on how they were used, and some of the runes have not been seen before."

Hermione nodded as Professor Babbling prattled. There was so much information here to process, and she was having a wee bit of trouble keeping up. As much as she was an expert on Elder Futhark runes and had studied several other runic alphabets, this too, was new to her. But she wasn't going to permit a set of runes to defeat her. Hermione Granger was the best, even if the DoM didn't agree with her.

"Well, I must be off now, but I'm sure all of you can figure out what to do in order to at the minimum open the gates." Professor Babbling walked off.

Hermione turned to look at the runes again before she disapparated with a slight 'pop' to retrieve her books before joining the crew. Although Draco had sent her several books to read, many of the books only speculated what was inside Tawel Anghyfannedd or what happened to the city. Or, as Hermione sourly thought to herself, they were children's books. When she was done with the excavation, she was going to send Draco a nice Howler to thank him for the lovely tomes.

* * *

Auror Harry Potter was not having a good day. Instead of pursuing a known Death Eater, he had been pulled by his superiors to guard this weird thing that couldn't be pronounced. The only good thing he could find was that Hermione was there even though he hadn't seen her yet.

"I'mph telling ya, this ish the stupidest thing we've had to do shince we were in the Academy. And it wasn't as if they couldn't haf other less competent Aurors here, mate."

Harry shot an annoyed look at Ron. Although he was friends with Ron despite everything, he wanted to hit him. It was already bad enough that he'd married Lavender Brown on the rebound, but he had insisted he was right in telling Hermione to quit her job and sneered when she'd been passed over for the promotion his wife had gotten through unsavoury means. It seemed everyone but Ron was aware of Lavender's predilections.

"Ron, if this were stupid, we wouldn't be here right now. Obviously this has to be important. Besides, you got here late. You didn't see poor Davies carried out in a full body bind. There's some incredibly dark magic surrounding this place." Harry wanted to strangle his friend. He really did. "Plus Hermione's here with Bill and a bunch of other blokes from the Ministry and Hogwarts. Something big is going to happen, and it's a good thing we're here to witness it just in case."

Ron spat out his pumpkin pasty. "She's here too!? Merlin, why didn't you tell me this before we got here?! You know I can't stand her!"

Harry turned away. "We're on the job and we're suppose to be professional, Ronald." Talking to Ron always felt like he was the parent of a spoiled petulant brat who didn't know what compromise meant. Ironically, Draco Malfoy had matured after the war while Ron had done the opposite. "Furthermore, even if you don't get along with Hermione now days, she's still family." Percy had surprisingly asked Hermione to be the godmother of his oldest daughter Lucy.

"Can't believe she's here…" Ron mumbled.

With a sigh, Harry turned around. They were currently standing on top of a small mound, looking down at a tiny makeshift campsite for Aurors, curse breakers, and academics alike. To the south, Tawel Anghyfannedd was situated, looking regally down at them. It really was beautiful, Harry mused. Wizarding technology was so far ahead of muggle tech for its time in the ten century. It was such a pity that the place had reappeared only now. Harry was not a scholar by any means, but even he understood the value of The-Place-That-Couldn't-Be-Pronounced.

A slight 'pop' behind him had him turning around with his wand out. According to Johnson, who headed the Aurors, any person who attempted to approach the site without proper authorisation was immediately sent home without his or her equipment and obliviated.

"Hermione! You're finally here!" Harry exclaimed and discreetly put his wand away as he realised who it was.

"Harry! Oh I am so glad to see you! And Ron, of course," Ron's name was said in a much cooler tone as Hermione gave Harry a hug. Behind them, Ron made a rude gesture at Hermione which had her rolling her eyes.

Sensing a nasty argument about to erupt, Harry hastily directed Hermione towards the campsite. "Why don't I walk you down so you can tell me more about this place? Ron can stay here and guard." This last statement was said loudly and clearly as he and Hermione walked towards the campsite.

Ron stuck his tongue out at Hermione's back. Childish as it was, it made him feel better. The stupid bint deserved every putdown she received.

* * *

Hermione was excited to get away from Ron as she and Harry slowly meandered toward the colourful tents.

"So tell me, Hermione, what's so special about this ruddy place? Shacklebolt informed most of the MLE that this place was to be guarded incessantly 'or else'," he quoted.

Hermione beamed. It was moments like these, when Harry and Ron had asked her about something and she could go on and on that made her miss Hogwarts. "It's incredible, Harry. This place is just so – can you feel the magic? Oh, I know it's dark, but there's so much of it in the air! It's like Hogwarts all over again! There's so much that I don't know where to start to tell you!"

Harry frowned. "The beginning is always a good place to start," he said drily.

"Well," Hermione stopped in her tracks, "Tawel Anghyfannedd is the name, clearly. It means 'deserted halcyon' in Old Welsh. I understand the halcyon part, but I can't comprehend why it would be 'deserted'. Considering how it flourished for nearly two centuries before it disappeared and was a safe haven for witches and wizards fleeing from persecution and muggle warfare, it seems like such an odd name to give to a place. Doesn't it seem somewhat ironic wouldn't you –"

"Hermione!" Harry interrupted her, "you're rambling."

"But Harry!" Hermione protested, "it's so _fascinating_. There's so much to learn about this place! Why did it suddenly disappear and reappear now over a thousand years later! There's no Hogwarts, A History for this place!"

"Hermione!" Harry interrupted her again, "as much as I adore you, please oh please just tell me the basics. I've been here since five this morning, and I would like to learn _something_ about this place before I have to leave."

Hermione stopped. "Fine, anyway, this place was founded sometime in the mid to late tenth century as a safe haven for witches and wizards fleeing from western coastal raids by Vikings, skirmishes between the natives and Danes in the north and south, and the spread of Christianity in the east. The location of Tawel Anghyfannedd was in Powys, a Welsh fief inland bordering the territory held by the locals. It's really ingenious, the place is difficult to get to unless by magic and far away from any malignant influences that would want to harm them. The land surrounding the perimeter of Tawel Anghyfannedd was rich and fertile, and many could grow crops easily. So in conclusion – no Harry I'm not done yet, don't give me that look, yes that _look_! – it was perfect."

"Sooooo," Harry slowly processed the information that Hermione just pelted him with, "then why did this place disappear if it was set up for magic folk?"

"That's the part I'm not sure of, Harry. It disappeared so suddenly after two hundred years of history. No one knows what happened to it, and it just became a story that people told. It became a fairy tale, for Merlin's sake. And now this," Hermione gestured at the walls. "No one can get in, and the rune work is so archaic that even Professor Babbling, who is one of the smartest people I know, can't make any sense of it."

Harry pat her back. "Well I'm sure that the brightest witch of our age can figure it out. C'mon, let's get to your tent. Bill got here before you, and there are a few other guys there too. You're the last to arrive."

The two walked towards the red tent closest to the obsidian walls where a group of people were gathered, two of whom Hermione recognised. Bill Weasley, one of the best curse breakers she'd ever known, and Professor Babbling were standing around a long sheet of parchment arguing with the others.

"Look, that's obviously not Elder Futhark. It's an Egyptian hieroglyph representing Ra." Bill Weasley pointed out to the woman on his right.

"Yeah, and that's suppose to be a rodent flying. They don't use voles in Egyptian glyphs, Weasley. Voles didn't even exist in Egypt. So there goes your silly theory," she scoffed.

"Ahem, everyone." Harry cleared his throat. Five pairs of eyes look up at him before seeing Hermione.

"Hello everyone." She smiled awkwardly at them. "I apologise for interrupting, but I'd love to get started if possible."

"Of course Miss Granger. May I say that I am honoured to meet you. You're very well known in our circles." The man closest to her smiled warmly. "My name is Alfonso Columbus. I teach Ancient Runes at Beauxbatons. This here is Natalie Aten, Nathan Longbottom, and you known Bill Weasley and your Professor Babbling."

"Of course. Any relation to Neville Longbottom?" She asked Nathan Longbottom as she went around to shake hands with everyone.

"He's a distant cousin. We see each other during Christmas." Nathan Longbottom drily responded.

Hermione murmured an unintelligible reply as she moved next to Bill. "So where are we so far?"

"This." Natalie Aten, who had interrupted Bill earlier waved the parchment in the air. "I was able to duplicated some of runes closest to the gate, but I'm afraid we have not been able to reach a consensus on the types of runes used. The first five are from the Elder Futhark alphabet, and spell out _aiþalataz_, _nyd_, _eoh_, _mann_, and _ós_. But then that's where the discrepancies start to appear. Bill says these runes here look Egyptian," she pointed at the second row of runes, "but they do not resemble any Egyptian runes I have seen, and that is my area of specialty."

"May I see them please." Hermione reached out her hand to take the parchment. Slowly, she perused the runes that Natalie had pointed out. "These runes aren't Egyptian." She handed back the parchment to Natalie. "They're bastardised Marcomannic runes used to spell out a place for Portkeys or whatever the equivalent to land in Old Welsh. Look at the first five runes. Essentially they're pinpointing wizards to get to the walls if they are in trouble. My guess is Tawel Anghyfannedd wasn't just a haven for wizards in the British Isles, it was also a shelter for wizarding folk fleeing from continental Europe."

Bill and Professor Babbling looked proud while the other three gazed at Hermione with surprise.

"And how do you know that, Miss Granger?" Nathan Longbottom asked. "You have not been here this long."

Hermione shrugged. "Because, Mister Longbottom, I read up on the history around the time Tawel Anghyfannedd was founded. Why would wizards need a place like Tawel Anghyfannedd? They were wizards after all. Nothing could scare them when they had magic to protect them. So what could drive them from their homes to come here? And then I realised it. Unlike today, wizarding folk were often at the mercy of Muggles who were afraid of magic. Evidently, they needed a place to hide and create a defence if anything were to happen. Compounding this would also be the wars in modern day France, territorial disputes on the Iberian Peninsula, alongside the diminutive formation of what would become the Holy Roman Empire. The wars would not have been safe for anyone, much less wizardry. To create the first wizarding city, a feat for its time, would mean its reputation would spread if it were successful. By looking at Marcomannic runes, which come from the Franks, we can tell that it was achieved." Hermione resisted a childish desire to stick her tongue out and say "so there" to Nathan Longbottom. She didn't mind when people asked her opinion, but it wasn't nice of him to be so condescending to her.

"Miss Granger, you certainly live up to your reputation. That was brilliant. None of us would have thought to factor in the impact of Muggle warfare on Tawel Anghyfannedd. " In a gesture reminiscent of Professor Flitwick, Alfonso clasped his hands and hopped off his stool.

"Perhaps we might take a break and regroup later, everyone. Great job so far, especially you, Miss Granger."

Hermione grinned under the praise of Professor Babbling. Lately, everyone had been subtly making digs about her failed promotion. It was nice to be appreciated for her work.

"Great job, Hermione," Bill whispered as walked pass her.

"Thanks Bill. You didn't do too bad yourself too." Hermione grinned as she left the tent, oblivious to the looks of several.

* * *

After a much needed bath and nice dinner, Hermione apparated from her hotel to the campsite. She wanted to examine the runes again, and perhaps re-examine the perimeter. Now that she had somewhat figured out where the runes originated, she wanted to see if there were other runic alphabets or glyphs used. Judging by the variety of runes, she had a feeling that there was far more to Tawel Anghyfannedd than just shelter itself. Perhaps it would be like the Library of Alexandria, she mused, filled with esoteric knowledge lost to time and destruction.

On arriving there, she stopped. It wasn't surprising to see runes glowing sometimes given the nature of the rune work and the reason for its existence. But this… this was not.

The beautiful full moon overhead provided more than enough light as she walked closer to the eastern wall to look at the along the bottom of the surface. Unlike the runes on the other three walls, these here _glowed_ bright red.

No, no, Hermione corrected herself. The runes _did not_ glow bright red. They were _blood red_.

Hermione dared not touch them. Given the nature of the gate's ability to prevent any spell work, she was sure that if she were to touch them, sometime equally bad might happen. She took out her wand to send a quick patronus to the other members of her team.

"Bill, Professors, Miss Aten and Mister Longbottom, I need you to come to the eastern wall immediately. Something odd is occurring, and I do not know how long this phenomenon will last. Come quickly. Please."

As her otter bounded off, Hermione followed the length of the wall to see if there were more such coloured runes.

"Miss Granger! I came as soon as I can! What are you – oh Morgana! This is amazing!" Nathan Longbottom ran up to her in his pajamas before skidding to a complete stop. "How did this happen?!"

Hermione stood up. "I'm afraid I don't have an answer for that, Mr. Longbottom. I decided to take a walk around to examine the runes when I encountered these on the bottom. I called everyone as soon as I can."

"Of course, of course." Longbottom looked thoughtful as he crouched down next to Hermione. "It's fascinating, isn't it?"

"Perhaps," Hermione spoke carefully, as a sixth sense told her not to reveal much to him, "this is blood magic as opposed to a runic construction." Quietly, she released her wand from her holster, allowing it to fall into her hand.

"Yes, of course. That makes sense." Longbottom slowly stood up. "Maybe we just need someone's blood to test it."

"It would be too dangerous, since we do not know the outcome." Hermione pointed out.

"Of course. We should wait until the others get here before we discuss any further." Nathan turned around to face Hermione. "But of course, until the others get here, why don't we amuse ourselves. _Incarcerous._"

Hermione rolled to the ground and successfully dodged the spell as it hit the tree behind her. She had been right to trust her instincts earlier. "Who are you?! _Expelliarmus!_"

"It matters not who I am, Miss Granger. But rest assured, after tonight, there will not be a need for you here." Longbottom fired several more hexes, each getting darker as Hermione ran around to avoid them while attempting to aim several spells at him.

"_Sectumsempra._"

Hermione neatly avoided the spell as she ran behind another tree. Why hadn't the others gotten here yet? She'd sent out her patronus more than ten minutes ago already. At most, it shouldn't have taken five minutes to get here by walking.

"Your colleagues will not be arriving anytime in the near future, Miss Granger. They're all – shall we say – tied up." Longbottom's voice rang out somewhere to her left mockingly.

"You bastard! What did you do to them?!" Hermione quietly crept over to her right, using the trees as camouflage.

"You should be worried more for yourself than your silly compatriots. After all, they're not the ones here right now."

"If you've done _anything_ to them, I will kill you!" Mentally cursing the anti-apparition wards around Tawel Anghyfannedd, she calculated the distance needed to sprint to the perimeter to apparate and get help.

"And what about the Aurors? They'll be coming soon! I'm sure of it! This has become the most protected space outside of Hogwarts and the Ministry! You won't get away with this!"

"They won't be coming either, Miss Granger. Once my team gets here, all that will be left here will be an empty city. Everyone will believe that Tawel Anghyfannedd cursed them for trespassing," Longbottom's voice dropped, "and soon, this place will be deserted, preserving Tawel Anghyfannedd's anonymity for all eternity."

Hermione felt chilled as she heard Longbottom speak. "Who are you?! I'm asking you one more time. What do you know about this place?!"

"More than you ever will, Miss Granger. Tawel Anghyfannedd was never meant to be discovered by anyone. And you will do well to believe it. _Seca._"

This time, Hermione could not dodge the dark hex fast enough. The dark slicing spell caught her right hand and deep gashes started appearing, spilling blood quickly. Distracted by the severe pain and slightly woozy from the rapid blood loss, she didn't hear the second spell Longbottom aimed at her.

"_Incarcerous._" Longbottom walked towards the now bound Hermione. "_Silencio. Muffliato._"

Hermione struggled against her binding as she heard the last spell.

"You've been a bad girl, Miss Granger. We need to rectify that." He grabbed her right hand.

Hermione shrieked, except no sound came out of her mouth.

"Much as I enjoyed this, it is your time." Longbottom pulled out a small potions vial and captured several drops of her blood. "There is a reason Tawel Anghyfannedd disappeared, and no one must ever know why." He walked over to the eastern wall, blocking Hermione's view as he did _something_.

"Good-bye, Miss Granger."

As Hermione continued to struggle against her bindings, a slow burned started up her right hand. It felt like her bones were breaking while the effects of the seca curse heighted the pain by burning her fingers off.

* * *

Longbottom looked on as Hermione's body contorted into several uncomfortable positions.

Hermione Granger might be the smartest witch of her age, but she had absolutely no street smarts.

And as she disappeared from view, he turned away. His assessment of Hermione Granger had been correct. Without her, no one else would be able to open the gates of Tawel Anghyfannedd.

* * *

**A/N:** Dum dum duuuuum! And the plot thickens! I don't know about you guys, but I'm so excited to have Salazar appear in the next chapter. And thank you for all your lovely reviews/favs/alerts! I was really excited to see every one of them!

Furthermore, I apologise for butchering the Welsh language. Since I don't know Welsh, I stuck everything into Google Translate and pretended everything was Old Welsh, which was the language used at the time this story will be set. It is also historically accurate that Old Welsh was used in that region of what will eventually become England. Powys was an actual kingdom. I will strive to be as historically accurate as possible when I am allowed (Though I would love it if anyone who did know Welsh help me with some of the phrases. Seriously, Welsh is such an interesting language.)

As usual, please leave a review! They are my encouragement to write more quickly! :)

**Thanks to: Moi, PinkSlytherin, Jules, Brilliant, Elizabeth, Smithback, cosmoGirl666, and sweet-tang-honney.**

**Moi: **Thank you for your review! (And I wouldn't recommending reading any of my old stuff. Trust me. It's awful.) But a lot of the questions that you bought up will be answered/incorporated in later chapters, especially the Lavender one in two-three chapters. Just remember, Ron married Lavender on the rebound.

**Elizabeth:** You'll see soon! I can't reveal everything just yet unfortunately. The Snow White legend was part of the PoA game for GBA. Malodora Grymm was a hag who used a beautification potion to make herself pretty and married the King. She also created the poisonous apple that she would use to poison Snow White. Random fun fact, Miranda Richardson, the actress who played the evil queen in in the 2001 Disney live-action movie Snow White: The Fairest of the All, played Rita Skeeter in the HP franchise.


	3. Chapter Two

**A/N:** Ice Ranger Demon asked me to put up the pronunciations for the Welsh words I use in this story. From now on, I'll start to put a collective pronunciation guide on my blog for words I use that aren't English (or modern English, as you'll see later).

Pronunciations so far: [word] is the English equivalent.

Tawel Anghyfannedd [Deserted Halcyon]: tah well anck hef fahn ned

Caniatáu i'r bobl â hud mynd i: [allow those with magic enter]: can ya ta il bowl blon ji mund ee

As noted, I'm not a Welsh speaker, so if any Welsh speakers want to correct my mutilation of their language, please do. I used Google Translate to provide the pronunciations, so obviously they're likely butchered. I have noticed that there's a lot of slurring of the last syllable of a word with the first syllable of the following word though.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Look back at the Prologue please.

* * *

**Title:** Halcyon

**Summary:** "Tawel Anghyfannedd." Hermione repeated the name to herself. She wasn't excited, she was ecstatic. In three day's time, she would be off to Wales to help with the excavation of the legendary wizarding settlement.

* * *

**Chapter Two: In Which Our Hero Is Introduced**

When Salazar Slytherin was a very young child, his great-grandfather founded Tawel Anghyfannedd. After his wife and daughter had been raped and murdered by the coastal Vikings in what would later become modern day Norfolk, Fenwick Slytherin moved his clansmen to the Welsh kingdom of Powys, founding Tawel Anghyfannedd as a haven free from persecution and far away from superstitious Muggles prone to violence and warfare.

However, after living there for several years, Salazar's parents decided to move back to the fens, for Tamsin Slytherin missed the marshes and her childhood home, where she and her husband had grown up as childhood sweethearts and wed.

This proved to be a fatal mistake. On what should have been Salazar's twelfth birthday, a filthy mudblood brat had seen his parents using magic. As his family tried to flee, a large mob had stormed their house, killing his gentle parents. Salazar had escaped because his mother had shoved several objects into his hands, one of which caused his belly to jerk in an unpleasant manner. He appeared in a large field in the middle of nowhere with coinage, a thick cloak, and his mother's wand in the middle of winter.

For over three years, Salazar travelled the many kingdoms of the British Isles, until he met a young man in the kingdom of Wessex called Godric Gryffindor.

Godric Gryffindor was unlike Salazar. He was secure in his parents' love, and heir to a very large tribe. His tribe practised magic openly, without fear of repercussion, since the Gryffindor family spent a lot of time _helping_ the mudbloods.

The very first time they had encountered each other, Salazar had been trying to steal Godric's coin. After three years of wandering, Salazar had learned to thieve and con in order to survive. After all, if mudbloods were stupid enough to let themselves lose their money, they deserved it. Oftentimes, using the little magic his parents had taught him before they had died, Salazar managed to confound the peasants to pickpocket their money from them.

Godric caught Salazar when Salazar had been trying to purloin Godric's purse. When Godric reacted quickly, Salazar had tried to use the confundus charm on him. Instead, Godric had fired a spell back at him, before catching sight of Salazar.

Though Salazar was near sixteen winters at this point, he looked more like a prepubescent child. His clothes were tattered and he looked utterly malnourished. He was tiny, relative to Godric's fourteen years of age and brawny physique.

Godric decided to give his money to the thief and let him go, for he had plenty at home. But he quickly stopped when he caught sight of Salazar's expression.

Salazar Slytherin looked _haunted_.

Taking pity on the young Salazar, Godric invited Salazar to his home for a meal, where he promptly fell upon the food like a starved urchin. This shocked Godric's parents, and when they attempted to tell Salazar to slow down, he looked at them with pure malevolence. The Gryffindors were sheltered, and they encountered very few outside of their little town, for theirs was a place of peace and magical tolerance. Muggles and wizards worked alongside each other in the fields to grow their own food and build a strong community.

When Godric asked Salazar how he knew how to use magic, the only response he received was nothing.

Salazar had become a mute at this point.

Taking even more pity on this mysterious boy who evidently had nothing, Godric begged his parents to allow this strange boy to stay. He knew how to use magic, and it was clear to everyone that he had no family. Magic, he pointed out, was a way of life. And if this boy's magic was continued to be untrained, it would kill him.

Godwin and Anna Gryffindor hesitated. Magic was feared outside of their little county. Would they allow a boy whose magic was unstable to wander about Britain? Perhaps, and this rationale was what caused the Gryffindors to consent, what caused the poor boy's parents to die would come after him since he no longer had his parents to protect him.

And so, for the next seven years, Salazar stayed with the Gryffindors. He lost his gauntness, and with proper nutrition, he shot up in height. Slowly but surely, the Gryffindors lured him out of his shell. For a fifteen year old, Salazar's education was very lacking at best. Although he was very bright, the reality was, magic was taught from generation to generation. Without one's parents, it was difficult to learn to properly harness one's magic. Salazar could certainly read though. He was literate, which caused the Gryffindors to wonder if he was nobility, since only a very small percentage of people in Britain knew how to read. Godric's tutor became Salazar's tutor too. And far too soon, the two boys began to out-compete each other in academics, each trying to one-up the other.

But the best part for Godric had been able to hear his friend speak. A wandering healer had passed through Cornwealis when he was nineteen and Salazar twenty-one. By request of the Gryffindors, who for six years had tried to discover why Salazar could not or would not talk, the healer examined Salazar.

It turned out his vocal cords had been damaged badly, though by what Godric did not know. Salazar was a private person, and for the six years that Godric had known him thus far, Salazar spoke rarely of what happened before he arrived in Cornwealis. All Godric had learnt from his friend was he had been orphaned at twelve.

Luckily, this healer was a great witch from the kingdom of Powys. She explained her family had fled from the north, from coastal raids by the Vikings. She was from a place called Tawel Anghyfannedd, a civilisation of great scholars and wizards alike. It was a beautiful place, she described to Godric, full of lush valleys and beautiful forests.

Salazar's eyes brightened when she told them this information. _And who rules this Tawel Anghyfannedd now?_ He signed.

_A man named Fenwick Slytherin,_ she signed back. _He is a great wizard who has established a large haven for us magical folks. He is a great man. _(Hilda wasn't sure if he understood her. After all, she had a very strong Welsh accent when she spoke Old English to Godric.)

Salazar's hands were shaky as he signed back. _When will you return to Tawel Anghyfannedd?_

Godric looked on at this curious exchange between the healer and Salazar. He felt as though he was standing on the precipice of something momentous and life changing. Salazar looked much more cheerful than he had in the past six years that Godric had known him. Normally, he wore a very severe and austere expression, scaring the children who dared approach them in the village asking for a piggyback ride from "young Lord Gryffindor and his weird friend."

_In three months' time._ The healer replied.

_Can you take a message back to Slytherin when you return? _

_It depends on what the message is._ She signed back.

Salazar grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill, before scribbling something on the parchment to hand to her. _Take this to Fenwick Slytherin. He will know what to do._

The healer slipped it into her robes. _Now let's look at this, shall we?_

A year to the day the healer mended Salazar's vocal cords, an assemblage of men arrived in Cornwealis, bearing the seal of Tawel Anghyfannedd.

Godric stood outside of the gates with his parents and Salazar.

Though the healer had restored Salazar's voice, he still spoke very little. His spirits had brightened since that day, which in turn did cause him to share more information about himself.

His great-grandfather was Fenwick Slytherin, Salazar confided in Godric. And he had lived in Tawel Anghyfannedd as a child.

As amazed Godric was, Salazar made him promise to not tell anyone. It was a matter of precaution, of course. Salazar did not want anyone to know he was alive. He feared that if news got out, Godric and his family would be in danger.

Godric felt flattered that Salazar cared that much about him, though the truth was far different than the reality.

And so, as the four stood outside, Fenwick Slytherin dismounted from his horse, heartily shaking Godwin Gryffindor's hand before turning to look at the two young men.

"My grandson, it is good to see you," he murmured to Salazar before turning to Godric. "And young Gryffindor! It seems my family owes you a debt for saving my grandson."

Godric bowed. "It is my honour to make your acquaintance, sir. I have heard many things about Tawel Anghyfannedd."

"For all the good it did…" A flash of grief quickly flitted through his features before he turned to Salazar. "We shall go inside and talk. For I must hear from you and Lord Gryffindor how everything had come to transpire."

And so, for a fortnight, Fenwick Slytherin, his kinsmen, and Salazar stayed with the Gryffindors until Salazar decided to accompany Fenwick back to Tawel Anghyfannedd.

As the Slytherins began to depart, Godric and Salazar decided to speak once more.

"I thank you, dear friend, for welcoming when no one would." Salazar's voice was low and brusque. After years of disuse, he had a difficult time speaking unless spoken to.

Godric shrugged. "Friendship allows for concessions, even if they involve stealing one's purse." He was referring to their very first encounter.

"I owe you a debt that can never recover from. Although I must return home, we shall stay in touch." Salazar fished out a mirror from his pocket.

"A mirror, Sal?" Godric flipped it back and forth. "This seems a bit pedestrian."

"I carry the other. If one of us desires to speak to the other, the mirror shall heat up. I have modified the protean charm and used it for the mirrors."

"Grandson! We must depart!" Fenwick beckoned Salazar.

A stable boy helped Salazar mount his horse. "Goodbye good friend. I shall return next year." He nudged the horse into a trot, and caught up to his kinsmen.

Godric turned around and pocketed the mirror. A modified protean charm. He had to look that up. Just because Salazar had left did not mean he couldn't continue to study.

* * *

"You saw what?" Harry looked at Bill Weasley.

"Last night. I don't know what happened, but I think we were drugged. This morning, Hermione and Longbottom both disappeared. All of our work is gone! The Professors and I couldn't believe it. I don't know how it happened, but all our research is gone and two members of our group are gone!"

Harry groaned. "Bill, if you use gone one more time, I will disconnect from the floo network. I know this is a problem, but don't you think-" he stopped. "Wait, what do you mean by Hermione's disappeared?!"

The image of Bill in the floo grabbed something that resembled toast, grabbed a bite, and started talking. "Yesterday afternoon, when Hermione got here, she quickly solved one set of runes that we hadn't been sure about. Hermione's the only one who actually knew the origin of those runes. After we ended for the day, I haven't seen her since. Last night when I was sleeping I could see and hear everything, but I couldn't move my body. I know Hermione sent a patronus to us, but I couldn't get up. This morning when I could actually move, I tracked her patronus charm to its origin, and there was no one there. I ran to notify the Aurors on-site and when we searched the area, there was a lot of blood close to the wards. Longbottom hasn't been there either. We think he and Hermione might have been kidnapped while badly injured. Kingsley is coming here later, and since you were there yesterday, he wants you to get here as soon as possible to look over the place along with Ronald." Bill stopped talking to take another bite of toast. "I have to go now since we need to look over the runes to see if they have done something. Nasty business we've got here right now. Babbling is fending off the Daily Prophet. They've been snooping around and we're trying to keep this as quiet possible. Wouldn't want people knowing about Hermione. Get here as fast as you can."

As the floo terminated and the fire changed from an emerald green to a dull orange, Harry quickly grabbed his Auror robes.

"Ginny! I won't be home until late tonight!"

* * *

There was pain. So much pain that she couldn't move her body or wake up. All she wanted to do was cry out, beg for mercy or death or anything that would numb her to what was going on. She had no idea where she was, for her eyes were sealed shut.

Images of a black haired boy running up the stairs, followed by a redhead, _shrieking_, a pale faced man with red eyes laughing, a hat placed upon a bushy haired girl's head, screaming and cackling from a woman with mad eyes, _mudblood, filthy mudblood_, a winged bird-like creature, _we've Hufflepuff's cup_, a dark haired man cursing her, _we've secrets to protect_, blood dripping all over the mud, high walls luminescent, _fear and terror_, clutching a dead body, torn robes and bright yellow eyes, shattering on the black floor and _smoke rising_, screeching at her.

It was a mercy to finally fade into unconsciousness.

* * *

A ravaged cry rang through the forest.

Salazar Slytherin nudged his horse forward toward Godric, who was in the process of putting his bow down.

Every autumn, Salazar would travel to Cornwealis to visit his friend for a month. During each of these visits, the two friends would go hunting for three days, surviving in the wilderness on what they could poach alone. No magic was used to capture their prey, only their hunting skills sustained the two.

Naturally, the two would try to see who could catch the largest or the fattest, since it was in their nature to attempt to out-compete each other if possible.

"I believe your skills are fading, old man. That bird you captured looks like a bag of bones," Salazar drawled.

"Old man! You are the senior here, Salazar. That bird is certainly lusher than the ones you've shot down this trip," Godric retorted. "Once we find it, you shall eat your words."

Godric pulled on the reins and his magnificent thoroughbred towards the westerly direction, where the raven had fallen.

Salazar's month in Cornwealis was a personal retreat for both from the stresses of their lives. Godric was getting married soon to a young woman from the Peverell family in a neighbouring county. She too, was a witch. Their marriage would allow for two great magical families to combine their assets: land and magic. Godric's parents looked upon the union with much delight while Godric was blatantly blasé about it. The two found each other tolerable, but no deeper emotions were needed, since it was an arranged alliance for two great families to consolidate their resources.

Meanwhile, Salazar was being groomed to take over the leadership of Tawel Anghyfannedd. His great-grandfather was old, and sooner or later, he would pass on, joining his family on the other side of the Veil. Fenwick Slytherin hadn't given up on the will to live just yet, but he was close.

The two friends knew that soon, these idyllic trips would have to stop once they accepted the mantles of their respective legacies and families.

Godric abruptly stopped and dismounted. "Looks like you owe me, Sal. Come and weep at your loss."

Salazar smirked, saying nothing as he too dismounted.

Cornwealis was still untouched by the trouble surrounding them on all sides, thanks to the heavy magic that permeated through the area. Multiple wards were constructed to prevent men harbouring unfriendly intentions from entering the county. The wards were renewed every year, ensuring safety and peace for its villagers.

Godric picked up the raven, which had fallen to the ground. "You may now eat your words, Salazar."

Salazar shrugged. "You may now eat, Godric." He mounted his horse and nudged it into a trot. "We should go back. It is late. Last one there will buy the other ale tonight." With a laugh, he shot off.

Godric scrambled to get onto his horse. "Cheat!"

* * *

After handing their horses to the stable boys, Godric and Salazar were immediately greeted by one of the Gryffindors' maids.

"Lord Godric, you must come quickly. There has been a disturbance and your attendance is required." White faced, the maid spoke in a low tone. "Lady Anna, she's not well."

Hearing the news that it was his mother, Godric ran towards his manor. Salazar followed along a bit more slowly, expecting the worse.

"Mother! Where are you?" Godric burst into the foyer, seeing servants dashing around madly carrying towels and bandages. He grabbed one of the maids. "Where is she?" He demanded.

"Lady Anna is in her chamber, milord," the maid timidly told him, "she has asked for you to come quickly."

Godric let her go and dashed up the stairs.

"Lord Salazar!" The Gryffindors' butler blocked Salazar's way, preventing him from following Godric. "Lord Godwin has asked you to take care of something. Please follow me."

Reluctantly, Salazar followed him instead. The butler continued to speak. "On her way back from visiting Ianthe Peverell, Lady Anna was thrown off her horse by this strange entity. It was taken back to Cornwealis for further examination, but given Lady Anna's current problem, Lord Godwin does not have the time for this. He asks that you deal with it, and trusts your judgment." Two more left turns later, the two reached a small room. "The Lord says you have the most experience dealing with this type of magic." He opened the door and led Salazar in.

Inside the cramped room, a small black ball laid on the bed. It was impossible to tell what it was, only that it was filthy and full of malevolent magic.

Salazar reached out a hand, and verbally cast a spell to remove the cloth, revealing what was underneath. The butler had not moved from beside the door, so Salazar turned to look at him.

"Tell the maids to come here. We need to figure out what is wrong with it."

* * *

**A/N:** Instead of making excuses, yes I realise this chapter is late by a lot and short. I struggled with re-writing this chapter so many times and today I finally gave up. Please do let me know your opinions by leaving me a review. Reader responses will be out later on my blog, fireflyofhell dot tumblr dot com. It's under construction currently, but stuff will be posted there from now on.

Btw, can anyone guess what is wrong with Anna?


End file.
